KEEPING CHRISTMAS UNSTUCK!

 

 

 

Ever had one of those rollercoaster Chrsitmas’? A month full of ups and downs, and crazy twists and turns? Well my sweet and wisee friend, Pat Layton has lots of insights and encouragement for all of us. 

She has a new devotional book on Unstuck Christmas– hope this excerpt helps encourage you today . . I bought mine on kindle (you can also get a spiral devotional  from Pat) and I am a part of her Unstuck club online. I need all the help I can get!

Now let’s hear from Pat:

 Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled[a] among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. 3 With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught. Luke 1:1-4 (NIV)

 

Some days when I feel really brave, I drag the heavy plastic bin that holds 30 plus years’ worth of my old prayer journals from under my bed, blow the layer of dust off the top and crack open the lid, my HEART does that funny dance between terror and delight. You may know the feeling; It’s like what happens when you ride Space Mountain at Disney for the first time. My mind always reviews my options – burn these and let all this “stuff” stay between me and Jesus OR keep saving them as a raw record of “the things that have been fulfilled…so that you may know.”

Memories hold such a personal place. My family always teases me about the stories I share in my books and my speeches. They always remember things differently than I do. The truth is likely somewhere in the middle.

[tweetthis remove_url=”true”]The holiday season, especially Christmas, can leave some of us feeling a bit like we are riding Space Mountain- Pat Layton[/tweetthis].

We know we are supposed to love it and we do love it but sometimes we dread it almost as much.

The Holy verses the hustle.

The glitter verses the grief.

The tradition verses the trauma.

That feeling between terror and delight, right?!

In the familiar verses above Dr. Luke goes on record with his version of the birth and infancy of Jesus as it was handed down to him. Dr. Luke was a student of truth and details and presents a beautiful narrative of, not only the birth of Jesus but, his boyhood and launch into ministry. Luke introduces Jesus as “The Son of Man” and shares His prayer life, healing touch and His compassion for the lost and hurting. For me, as a follower of Christ, the only way for me to keep Jesus as “the reason for the season” is that like Dr Luke, I remain fully focused on His Great Story!

I am excited to join a few other women as we take a FRESH LOOK as we take a FRESH and RENEWED look at these very familiar passages. I hope you will join us!

Prayer: Father, thank you for leading me to this special journey with you during this holiday season. I trust you for the time and the space to get quiet and reflect upon your birth in my life. Show me some NEW things Lord. Show me some things that I have never seen. Most of all, I want to see you in a fresh way today. Open my eyes Lord. I want to see Jesus.

Amen!

 

You can read more about Pat Layton’s  Quest to a “less hustle, more holy” Christmas in her new holiday devotional book A Woman’s Quest to an Unstuck Christmas available in 3 versions at www.patlayton.net Pat is the author of 7 books including Life Unstuck: Finding Peace with Your Past, Purpose in Your Present and Passion for Your Future (Revell, 2015) Pat lives in sunny Florida where she enjoys the glitter of “White Christmas” from a ribbon of sand known as Longboat Key.